Looking Beyond
by Artemis Lightmetal
Summary: When his best friend started getting along with Albus and Rose, Scorpius couldn’t have been more surprised, or so he thought. After all, he got caught up with them soon after that too. RosexScorpius


Looking Beyond

When his best friend started getting along with Albus and Rose, Scorpius couldn't have been more surprised, or so he thought. After all, he got caught up with them soon after that too. RosexScorpius

Artemis: First Harry Potter Fanfic! :D RosexScorpius has become my favorite HP pairing, thanks to the fanfics and Ron's famous words to Rose before she left for Hogwarts. I'm trying out a new writing style, and the format on this chapter won't match that of the rest of the story… this is more prologue-y. And slow. And… well, not-very-exciting. D: And I really need to get back to my other stories some time later. Sigh.

Well, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned by J K Rowling.

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Rose Weasley sighed, content, as she stretched her arms and legs out in her hidden spot behind the cedar tree, her own little haven. Nobody knew of it, of course, at least to her knowledge, since nobody ever bothered her, not even her annoying cousin James. The git always found a way to pull pranks on people no matter when, where, or who the prank was on. The only ones spared were the ghosts, Professor McGonagall and Peeves, the ageless, annoying poltergeist of Hogwarts, as well as the undefeated king of pranks. Albus, his younger brother, is usually on the receiving end of said pranks.

Of course, she loves to be around her cousin Albus a deal lot more than James, being the same age and all, but he is currently engaged in some kind of primitive form of flying through the air and hitting people in the head with Bludgers. She honestly didn't know how the rest of her family could be so into such a boorish sport--- the only one who seems to agree with her, even a bit, would be her mother, who can't stand flying (not that Rose hated flying; on the contrary, she liked flying in itself). During the house games, unless it was a Gryffindor match, she opted to stay in the Common Room or library.

Of course, being Hermione's daughter, she had inherited her smarts as well, and it was uncommon to not find her in the library, even during times outside of Quidditch matches. It was quiet, and few people went there as most people preferred to study or do homework in the common rooms, where Madame Prince wouldn't be breathing down their necks. It was mostly used by Ravenclaws, whom live up to their reputation, and sometimes the other houses too. The only person who actually goes to the library as much as Rose would be Scorpius Malfoy, that Slytherin her dad warned her against… well, she didn't talk to him much anyway. They weren't friends, but they didn't hate each other either, contrary to the belief of most of Hogwarts when they were in first year…

Taking another glance at the endless sky, as well as the dots in the distance that are flying through the air, Rose picked up the novel she had brought with her and opened it up to the bookmarked page. She was almost exactly halfway through the book, and had another two hours to enjoy it until dinner. She didn't have to worry about homework, of course, as she had already finished all of it during the morning.

She was interrupted twelve minutes into the book, however, when something suddenly barreled out of the tree, causing her to shriek in surprise.

_:…:_

"Where is she?" grumbled Scorpius Malfoy, glancing up from the barely-started Transfiguration essay that he was straining his mind over. The only other occupants of the library, as far as he could see, would be a group of fifth-year Ravenclaws studying intensely for their OWLs, which they will take in two months' time. Madame Pince was lurking between the bookshelves as well, probably too old for the job, and was meticulously reordering books that were put in the wrong order. However, his best friend was nowhere to be found.

He glanced at the clock. Seventeen past five. She was forty-seven minutes late to their study session, and she was _never_ late, unless it was a dire emergency. But when she left the Slytherin common room, all she had said was that she was going to go for a walk around the Castle… with her cat. He can never understand how she can be around that annoying, cynical tuft of fur being around her every second of every day of every year. Besides the presence of the infuriating cat, that girl never gets into trouble, and whenever she actually does do something that would trouble others, nobody ever notices, or at least never find it was her doing. Family tradition or not, her cunning and ambition match that of a true Slytherin.

'_That can only be half-true for me…_' he thought with a glare, as he had no idea what he wanted to do after he graduated Hogwarts. Sure, there were three years and two months to go before the last day, but most of the students already have dreams for their future. Not him, though, as he didn't have anything in particular that interested him. He was considering doing something that wouldn't make him socialize or interact with people much… having the Malfoy name doesn't help at all these days. In fact, ever since the war, the Malfoys have been socially rejected by almost everybody, despite Harry Potter's claim that they were no longer practitioners of the Dark Arts. Despite that, even a large group of Harry Potter's family despises him without even talking to him, except for those two in his year and Albus Potter's little sister. Scorpius was especially surprised at Rose Weasley's civility towards him, for from what he heard, his father and her father hated each other, and apparently her dad still does.

Shaking his head of wandering thoughts, Scorpius closed the Transfiguration book and put the book, his unfinished essay, and all other equipment back into his bag and slung it over his shoulder, mentally thanking his younger sister Aquaria for giving him a new bag for Christmas to replace the one he had last year, which is now at the bottom of a garbage heap. Silently, he exited the library, grateful that the other students have stopped whispering about him as much as when he was a first year, and now most opt to just ignore him. This was easier on him, as he could very well focus at the task at hand: finding his best friend (and her cat) and getting some help on that bloody essay.

He sighed audibly when he realized that she could be anywhere on the vast school grounds, as she never stays in one place long enough for somebody to find her.

_:…:_

Albus grinned. He was sure that with this new strategy, they would be able to pulverize the other team, Hufflepuff, this year in the Quidditch finals. Unless, of course, the other team decided to change their strategy too and came up with something drastically different from what they used in their previous matches. Being a beater, Albus had to protect his teammates and hinder the progress of the other team, which wasn't as easy as you thought. Even if the bludger sometimes followed the target after you missed the shot by a bit, it could easily go after your teammate. It involves detailed calculations, fast reflexes, and good instincts.

Since all but two people on the team of seven was related to him somehow, and since James, his older brother, is the captain and keeper, he can easily get updates and practice times. James is probably the best keeper since Ron Weasley and Oliver Wood, and has only let in one quaffle in the entire year. Of course, his superb Quidditch skills don't make up for his rotten personality, though maybe that's just to Albus and Malfoy. Poor guy, always looked down on and such when he hasn't really done anybody to make people hate him… except existing of course. But really, he wasn't half bad. A bit solitary, usually accompanied only by that one grim-looking friend of his or sister, but not bad.

But where does that leave Al? He himself is more socially awkward than James, and doesn't really take the glory of being Harry Potter's son well. He had been ridiculously bashful as a child, no thanks to the attention he got and James, and still didn't do that well in public speaking and performances… well, except things like Quidditch. He can forget about the audience then and just fly and focus on protecting his teammates. Of course, he shouldn't be talking about Quidditch now. After all, the task at hand is a lot more… complicated… than that.

Albus groaned as he realized that he has six more inches of parchment until he could finish the essay for Transfiguration. Due tomorrow. In the morning. Rose, his usual savior on all things related to academics, was nowhere to be found, not that that's unusual. Sometimes, she could disappear for half the day without telling anybody and still manage to get homework done. But that still leaves Albus there, attempting to finish that last length.

Why the hell does Rose have to be gone at the worst possible moment?

_:…:_

So what did you think? Review please, since I'll need the feedback. Dearly.


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